


The Christmas Gift

by ReplicaJoelle



Category: RWBY
Genre: Christmas, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 11:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5538521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReplicaJoelle/pseuds/ReplicaJoelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Christmas Eve in a dirty motel room at the edge of Vale where one criminal finds that the true meaning of Christmas cannot be stolen (no matter how much he wants to sell it).</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Christmas Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [XIIIthNobody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/XIIIthNobody/gifts).



Snow and sun fell over Vale. The streets were quiet, especially in a little part on the edge of the city. In that little part stood an old motel. That motel had a little dusty room converted into semi-permanent residence. That’s where I was. Sitting on a chair and staring out a smoke stained window at the million tons of white pain in the ass. Quite literally too as I slipped walking up the stairs this morning. I hate winter.

The window reflected a twinkling light from the other side of the room. I turned my head to look at the small decorated tree on the dresser. It wasn’t my idea. I don’t like to celebrate the hell season that is winter, let alone the happy joyful holiday that resides within it. Not that I had much choice this year. One day I returned home and it was just there. This isn’t even the first time I’ve arrived to my own residence, that I have to pay for, and found something that I did not want inside. At least this time it wasn’t breathing, or ever was breathing. I stopped questioning these random appearances after my desk chair was replaced with a more comfortable, yet ridiculously tall one. My legs barely fit under the desk but after sitting in it I don’t feel like working anyway. Perhaps that was the point. It’s now covered with some sort of small, holiday themed decorative blanket. I don’t understand the point but I never dared to move it.

I’m a wanted criminal and my secret hideout is decorated like a dorm on a budget but still tried to be festive. A tiny fake tree with equally tiny lights and ornaments, a wreath duct taped to the door, decorative blankets, and tinsel duct taped too low around the windows but the attempt is there. I just hoped that I wasn’t expected to actually celebrate. I couldn’t see myself trying to buy a present. I could already hear Cinder laughing. Despite her name her heart was as cold as the dead of winter. We aren’t givers, we’re takers, that’s why we’re in the business of stealing. Besides what would you even give a thief that can take anything she wants?

I had been staring at the tree and daydreaming for so long I didn’t even hear the first knock on the window. By time I snapped out of it and turned back around I was given a heart attack as a pink and brown devil stared at me through the window. Her impish grin knocked me right out of my chair and I didn’t even have to hear the laughter from the other side of the window to know she was more than amused. This wasn’t the first time she decided to enter my window through the fire escape but it was the most shocking time yet.

By the time I had gotten to my feet she had already halfway climbed inside. There was no inviting with Neo. She entered whenever she wanted. I never did give her a key, yet some how she still managed to enter without making the lock look like a break in. I was a little proud and intimidated. I hoped she never decides she wants to kill me. Though if she kept this up my heart might just give out. I was just glad I hadn’t be smoking or I would have burned something. I’m sure that wouldn’t have stopped her. I don’t know what is going to kill me first, cigars, a life of crime, or Neo’s antics.

Her nose was red from the cold and her hair and clothes were covered in snow. She shook off most of the snow but I brushed away what was left on the top of her head. She looked up at me with an amused expression. My heart had barely returned to normal. I didn’t want her to present me with another trick. But instead she pulled something from her bag and placed it under the tiny tree. It was a small package wrapped with snowflake paper. Oh no. I was not going to get into this Christmas thing. That better not be for me. But sure enough after close inspection it had my name on it.

I shook my head and told her no, no gifts. I don’t do that. But she just smiled and I groaned. It was the day before Christmas, why does she do this to me? How was I going to find a gift so quickly? Of course I could just… not get one. No… not with her. She might take my still beating heart out of my chest as her gift. The gift could still be a trick. She would do that.

With all of the thoughts running through my head I tried to keep an aloof demeanor. I told her not to expect anything yet her expression still didn’t change. I was starting to become a little frightened. I sighed as I sat down on my bed. Why did I have to get mixed up with the trickster illusionist? Maybe I should get her a kid’s magic kit as a joke. It would be funny until she learned to throw cards hard enough to slice my throat and made my wallet disappear… again. Why was I even worrying about this? Probably the same reason I let her have free reign of my home.

I watched her retrieve a small carton of ice cream from the small freezer in my mini-fridge. I learned to stock up to keep her happy. She curled up in the desk chair and flipped through the channels on the television until something caught her eye and enjoyed her frozen snack. I turned my attention to the leftover paperwork. We didn’t stop crime just because it was the holidays, in fact it the was perfect time. Higher stocks, more transportation of goods, easier targets. Plus everyone had high hopes for everything to just not go wrong. As if we had morals.

 

It wasn’t until I yawned that I looked at the clock. Hours had passed. I looked up to see Neo curling herself into the small decorative blanket that she had conveniently placed on the chair. She was small enough for it but I decided to add another layer and she almost disappeared within the pile of blankets. I shut the TV and the closest light off. I decided to go for a walk while she slept even though it was nearly midnight. I put on my ‘totally not wanted criminal Roman Torchwick’ disguise and headed out, careful not to slip on the stairs again. I wrapped a red scarf around my neck, partially obscuring my face and adjusted my hat as I stepped out into the brisk winter night.

Christmas cheer had even spread to this dreary part of town. The streets glowed with colorful lights that reflected off tinsel decorations. The only the life came from a local criminal hangout aka a dirty bar that I wouldn’t dare step foot in. I earned my way out of that kind of place. Of course if any of them saw my room right now they’d laugh their drunk asses off. But even that bar had a wreath on the door and a few decorations on the window. I carried on past the bar, leaving footprints in the fresh snow.

Everywhere I looked there were advertisements for gifts, get something for your loved ones, those you care about. I didn’t have those. I could just steal those things if I wanted them, but I didn’t. Those cheerful gifts were useless to me. I never understood them but I suppose they made more sense if you had someone to share them with. I sighed, my breath swirled in front of me. I was alone in these streets. I decided to light a cigar and turn around.

 

I heard a clock tower chime the hour in the distance. It was midnight. Christmas day. I never cared for the holiday. Nothing ever changed my mind. Until now. I wasn’t alone anymore, was I? Waiting at home for me was a little scoop of ice cream. She did nothing but scare the daylights out of me, put her cold hands under my shirt, redecorate my home, save my ass out on missions and then demand I take her for ice cream afterward. She wasn’t like Cinder who would probably throw me under a literal bus to save herself. Emerald just downright hated me and Mercury… I don’t know what his deal is, he’s just… strange. Neo stuck by my side though. A little too much. She does amuse me just as much as I amuse her, in truth. Every day was something new.

 

I finally made it back to the steps of hell and carefully traversed them up to my motel room. I opened the door to see only what the lights on the tiny tree would allow. Once I kicked the snow off my shoes I realized that Neo was no longer curled up in the chair. I looked around the dark room as I removed my outer garments and spotted her in my bed. For someone so tiny she always managed to take up so much space on my bed. She had made her way to the covers of my bed, shut the lamp off and fell asleep. I shivered a bit and my way over to MY bed. She had a firm grip on all of the blankets so I couldn’t even steal one and sleep in the chair.

That’s when I decided to get revenge for all the times she had done this exact thing to me. I crept around the other side of the bed and carefully slipped under the covers. And then I worked my very cold hand under the back of her shirt and she jumped so high off the bed I thought she would hit the ceiling. By the time she came back down she was already beating me with a pillow and I was laughing to hide the pain I never thought a pillow could cause.

She was bright red in the face by the time she stopped and I was smiling from ear to ear. I don’t even remember the last time I laughed so sincerely. I laughed a 'sorry’ and she held the pillow while she pouted. I sat up and wrapped my arms around her. She buried her face even further into the pillow.

“Merry Christmas, Neo.” I said softly into her hair. She looked up at me with two pink eyes. I opened my mouth to apologize for not having bought her anything but she let go of the pillow, wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a kiss. She was warm. She was soft and warm. I never thought of her that way before. Yet here she was. I laid back on the bed and she pulled the blankets on top of us. I didn’t think I could ever be cold again.

 

I think I understand all of this Christmas stuff now.


End file.
